


No One Cares (No One But Her)

by themagnificentquack



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Laurel is angsty, Pre-Crisis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:27:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26201872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themagnificentquack/pseuds/themagnificentquack
Summary: on one of the crisis episodes laurel's being all ansgty and lyla's there and she's like no one will care if i come home with bruised knuckles (U know bc every she loves is dead) but she's wrong bc dinah cares abt her
Relationships: Dinah Drake/Earth-2 Laurel Lance
Comments: 6
Kudos: 31





	No One Cares (No One But Her)

Laurel stared at her bruised and bloodied knuckles without really seeing them. Gone, gone, gone, gone...

Lyla came back into the room with an ice pack. "Here," she murmured.

The quiet sound was like a thunderclap in comparison to the desolate silence of the past hour, but it wasn't enough to break through the haze of grief that consumed Laurel's mind. She couldn't bear to look up.

"There's no one here who will care if I come home with bruised knuckles," she said bitterly.

Her thoughts wandered to Sara and the way she would stay up all night until Laurel got home, the care she would take to bandage each of Laurel's wounds. She would never wait up for Laurel again. She was gone.

Sara was good, done to her soul she was good. She should be here. She didn't deserve to be gone, not like Laurel did.

~~~

Lyla left the next day to go on some mission, leaving Laurel alone in Hong Kong to 'pick up the pieces'. Lyla probably hoped Laurel was going to do some soul-searching, maybe go to therapy...

She didn't do either. She tried to hold off, but the word 'gone' permeated her every thought. Even in sleep she couldn't escape it. Her mind went over it again again like if she thought about her for long enough, it would start to make sense.

But it never would so Laurel drank herself into unconsciousness just to have a moment of freedom from her thoughts.

~~~

She was relieved when she got a call for back up and Oliver showed up in a portal. A distraction might do her some good- or at least stop her from going crazy.

The rest of the team was ready to go when she arrived. Laurel plastered on her best 'I'm okay' face and greeted them all with only a nod before hurrying off to change.

They rushed to the van together, panic in most of their eyes. Their kids were in danger somehow? Laurel didn't know and frankly, she couldn't muster enough energy to care.

She took a seat in the empty row so she wouldn't force anyone to sit with her. Then she looked out the window so she wouldn't make eye contact with the rest of the team as they got in. She didn't need their pity and she didn't want to be on the receiving end of one of their hero speeches about perseverance through tragedy or some other bullshit. They couldn't possibly understand this type of tragedy. She had no desire to persevere.

She was pretty sure she was giving off pretty clear 'fuck off' vibes, so she was surprised when Dinah sat down next to her. It made her heart feel warm for a moment, but it began to fade almost immediately and the more Laurel tried to hold on, the faster it slipped away.

Dinah didn't try to say anything, for which Laurel was grateful. She couldn't fix this. Nothing could.

Instead, she covered Laurel's hand with her own in what was meant to be a comforting gesture. Laurel winced as the contact set off a flare of pain through her still aching knuckles.

Dinah pulled back immediately and she let out a quiet gasp when she saw Laurel's hand.

Laurel frowned. It wasn't _that_ bad. She looked down and- oh shit it did look really bad.

Dinah cradled Laurel's hand gently, like she was afraid it might shatter.

"I'll fix it when we get back, okay?"

Laurel looked up and Dinah;s gaze was so openly filled with care that for a moment Laurel felt dizzy- like she'd been pulled back from the edge of a cliff and her body was readjusting to being on solid ground, to having something- someone to hold on to.

"You care," Laurel said, awestruck.

A multitude of emotions crossed Dinah's face and Laurel watched as she struggled with what to say until she saw Dinah's expression clear and she smiled slightly as she said, "Yeah, I do."


End file.
